Thursdays in Williams Lake will be filled music and art activities throughout July and August.
Building on the annual Performances in the Park concert series, there will be art activities for children and adults during the concerts, food vendors, and a Busker Fest taking place in the downtown core in the afternoons before the evening concerts, says event organizer Angela Sommer.
The Community Arts Council of Williams Lake will set up Art in the Park activities each performance night. Hattie and Amos Entertainment will also be there providing face painting.
Food vendors including Taylor Made Cakes and Sweets and Cody’s Bannock will be on site along with the city’s recycling cart.
The afternoon Busker Fest will include musicians playing in the downtown area between noon and 4 p.m. prior to the evening concerts.
The Performances in the Park concerts themselves will feature local, national and international performers with two family-friendly acts each evening.
“We have a great line-up for this year’s Performances in the Park,” Sommer says. “Get your lawn chairs ready and prepare for a musical celebration for the whole family every Thursday night in Boitanio Park.”
The concerts take place Thursdays July 6 to Aug. 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. each evening.
The entertainment lineup provided by Sommer is outlined as follows:
• July 6: Hattie Ann, a rustic folk songstress who will bring you back to the mountains with her refreshing voice and captivating stories followed by Entangados, a band of clowns from Cordoba, Argentina.
• July 13: Colin Easthope who strives to write music that time will never forget followed by Kym Gouchie, a warrior for the light, whose inspirational music lifts the soul beyond its fettered state along the quest of creating a better world.
• July 20: Laura Kelsey, who will delight with strong vocals and original words followed by Twin Peaks with sweet and smoky roots music.
• July 27: Bernadette Ducharme, Academy of Western Artists, Fort Worth Texas, award nominee with a passion for western, country and gospel music followed by Alan Giddens and friends, a group of local musicians mixing a blend of original and cover tunes.
• Aug. 3: Nice Verdes, a duo from Cowichan, whose music evokes passionate rhythms, followed by This Way North who are hailing all the way from Australia.
• Aug. 10: Lowell Friesen, who describes himself as a Post-Archaic, Knew-Folk, Ally-Friendly, Settler-Singer, Git-Fiddle Picker, Banjo-Mangler, Heart-Song-Poet-Peddler, followed by the Aerialists who circumvent genres in a post-rock coloured, pop-infused folk experiment. Arty the Art Walker will also be at Performances in the Park with exhibits as part of the 2017 Art Walk and Sale which starts in August.
• Aug. 17: Brett Wildeman is a guitar strumming, nature loving musician and cyclist followed by RK Collective, who bring their unique styles to a mix of originals and covers.
• Aug. 24: Red Monkey Black King, who are not to be missed, followed by Those Guys who will have you grooving to their unique rock’n roll sound and finally local songstress Rachel Walker, who finds artistic fulfillment collaborating with international music professionals, focusing and building her catalogue of music for placement in the TV, film and music industries.
organized by the WIlliams Lake Central Business Improvement Area.
Sound is provided by Brandon Hoffman of Gnomegrown Music.
Performances in the Park is presented by the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society with the support of the Cariboo Regional District, City of Williams Lake and numerous local sponsors. Busker Fest is organized by the Williams Lake Central Business Improvement Area with the support of the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society.
For more information on the series check out www.facebook.com/performancesinthepark or http://www.centralcaribooarts.com/performances-in-the-park/.